For the past ten years, Grand Canyon University (GCU) and Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona have joined forces to revitalize neighborhoods, strengthen families, and create opportunity on the west side of Phoenix. In this episode, we sit down with GCU President Brian Mueller to explore how a university and a nonprofit can team up to drive meaningful, on-the-ground impact.
The work goes well beyond curb appeal. Projects address urgent needs and improve safety, comfort and long-term affordability for homeowners. Typical improvements have included:
Painting and landscaping to restore pride an...
0:27Can you explain a little bit to our viewers who may not be familiar with the partnership what this looks like and what we're doing and what we're attempting?
1:36Has there been any standout moments for you or memorable moments for you?
3:45Why is it important for a university like Grand Canyon to get involved in this way?
5:28So, President Mueller, as we look ahead now, what are your dreams for the future for GCU and the surrounding area?
8:00Is there anything else you'd like to share with our viewers before our time is up?
Hi everyone. Welcome to Habitat Now, Habitat's original video podcast. My name is Dusty and we are so excited because joining us in the studio today is Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller. President Mueller, thank you so much for being here today.
So, President Mueller, we have been partnered Habitat and Grand Canyon University for 10 years now, making a difference in the community and it's just been such a wonderful experience. Can you explain a little bit to our viewers who may not be familiar with the partnership what this looks like and what we're doing and what we're attempting?
Well, you know, it's interesting. We started a lot of community work 12, 13 years ago. And we did some very helpful things. But we realized that we weren't really equipped to do some of the actual construction work, work on homes, schools, etc. We really weren't equipped to do that and we came and met with you guys and got to know Habitat for Humanity and we thought, you know, this partnership makes a lot of sense. We have this huge volunteer force, Habitat knows what they're doing. It's amazing how good you guys are at what you do. And so we've been providing the labor and the volunteer force and you guys do all the organization. The partnership has just accomplished so many things. And so it really took off 10 years ago.
Yeah. And since then I think we've worked on more than 600 homes in and around the campus. And it's just so great to see all those purple shirts coming out to revitalize the neighborhood. And you're often out there working right alongside the students. Has there been any standout moments for you or memorable moments for you?
Well, I mean, I think when we first got started, that was very memorable. I remember how organized you guys were and how excited our students were and faculty and staff and how we could do so much more with our time because of our partnership with you than we were trying to do on our own. I remember that real clearly. Then I remember saying, you know, let's establish a goal. Let's say our goal is to work on 500 homes in the neighborhood. And we passed that goal a while back. We're over 600 homes now. And so we set a new goal and said, you know, let's start working towards a thousand homes. And then there's so many memories of the mostly young families who home ownership is a big deal for them. And they are so proud of the home that they're in, but they know it could be better. And just spending that time working with them and watching how they feel when we walk away and the house is freshly painted or the landscape is fresh and new and makes the house look so much better. The pride that is in their eyes and how good they feel makes you feel like this is a real worthwhile thing. Let's just keep going.
Yeah. And it goes for our viewers, this goes beyond paint and landscape. We've installed new windows, new doors. We've worked on some roofs. Air conditioning, which is pretty important in Phoenix to keep these families safe and comfortable in their existing home.
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Mueller, B. (2026, February 2). Habitat Now! Ep. 56: Decade of Partnership with Grand Canyon University ft. President Brian Mueller [Interview transcript]. Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1441147/
MLA
Brian Mueller. "Habitat Now! Ep. 56: Decade of Partnership with Grand Canyon University ft. President Brian Mueller." Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona, 2 Feb. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1441147/.
BibTeX
@misc{mueller2026_1441147,
author = {Brian Mueller},
title = {Habitat Now! Ep. 56: Decade of Partnership with Grand Canyon University ft. President Brian Mueller},
howpublished = {Interview transcript, Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. CEOInterviews.AI},
year = {2026},
month = {feb},
url = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1441147/},
note = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}
